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The Spirit of Religion vs. The Spiritual Relationship

 

There are two sides to Christianity. One is religion, the other relationship. The world is most acquainted with the religious side, but unfamiliar with the relationship side. The Spirit of Religion is a counterfeit to Christ. It is what the world sees when preachers persecute and punish people over trifles and the caste system of the Catholic Church. Religion is rampant in the Church and it is the enemy of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Religion has been behind every abomination and atrocious act in the Church since the days of St. Paul. It manifested in the Jerusalem Church with the doctrine of Circumcision and then saw Its unbridled  during the Holy Spanish and Roman Inquisitions of the Middle Ages. The Spirit of Religion is Satan's counterfeit for the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Revelation it says that the devil becomes an unholy Trinity: Satan, Man of Sin, and The Beast. I argue that the Beast could be the Spirit of Religion, for it is a system of works bound in fear and condemnation.

The Spirit of Religion is the most sinister force of Satan. It corrupts Churches who are connected with Christ and subverts the Holy Spirit. It is what causes that change in the Church; when the sanctuary was once full of the Holy Spirit, but now feels like sarcophagus or crypt. The Spirit of Religion also subverts the Holy Scriptures. Instead of men going to the source of Truth itself, they create extra-Scriptural books such as canon law and rabbinical writings that have neither the Spirit or Savior in them; merely the ideals of men.

The Spirit of Religion is relentless in its cause to crush all Christians. It wants to compromise your convictions and to get you disconnected with Christ himself. It places saints and angels in the way of a believer and his Lord. This Sinister Spirit seeks to dry up the prayer life of Follower of Christ and get them hooked on rites and rituals. It wants to make every Christian a crypt and tomb, instead of a church and temple of The Holy Spirit.

The answer to the Spirit of Religion is a Spiritual Relationship with Jesus Christ. Only be being intimately connected to Christ and the Holy Spirit can a Christian keep from becoming a pawn of the Spirit of Religion. Having a Spiritual connection with Jesus requires more than prayers of rote and petitions for things. It requires a believer to seek the Face of the Lord and connect with Him. It is a relationship, and in a relationship you do not merely do superficial acts or stay at distance. In a healthy relationship you want to connect. Connection requires vulnerability and letting your control walls down. It means opening your spirit, soul, and heart to the Living God and communicating. A Spiritual Relationship with Christ is like a marriage. It says in the Scriptures, "we are bride and He is the bridegroom." (Revelation 19:7-9). It is not meant to be strange, the usage of such a bond to illustrate how close we should be in relationship and connection is perfect. We are suppose to be close to Christ as if we are married to Him.

When people say that "Its not a religion, its a relationship," they are referring to that their faith is not just some tradition of men or ritual, but it is a living relationship with a living God whose name is Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the world religion had a positive connotation. It simply use to mean the Christian faith, but now Religion means: legalism, lots of different belief systems, and rigid traditions. The Spirit of Religion is legalism, it is a judgmental spirit that makes believers feel inferior and accused. This is how to discern if the Spirit of Religion has a Christian under its power: they feel inferior, feel fearful, self loathing, self condemning, accused and condemned by others (even though other people have said nothing), oppression, depression, and a feeling of  death spiritually; that God is distant and cannot be felt.

Build up a spiritual life in Jesus Christ. Do not become ensnared by the Spirit of Religion. Religion at first appears regal and rather refined, but in time it will route your relationship with the Lord. Ask the Lord for the Gift of Discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10), so that you may detect the devil's spirit and the many others who seek to shipwreck your faith. Trust in Jesus Christ and He will see you through all things.

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